"The Talking Potato"

Today I finished a draft of a short story titled "The Talking Potato." It is a westernized adaptation of a West-African short story about a yam that spoke to a farmer and nearly scared him out of his wits. Once it's done, it will be a submission to Children's Writer's October contest. It's my first attempt to rewrite a folk story, and I must admit it was more fun than I expected. The plot is already there, but the fun comes in making the characters come alive as you see them. Now just 70 words to cut out to make the 500-word limit!